


His Story

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Game of Thrones Season 8 [18]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Episode: s08e06 The Iron Throne, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 17:17:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Brienne confronts Bran about what he knew regarding Jaime's fate.





	His Story

**Author's Note:**

> I've started at least four other post-finale fics and haven't been able to finish any of them yet. They are coming. Apparently I just needed to work through my pain in a different way before fixing things.

Brienne doesn't cry when the news finally reaches her about Jaime's death. She doesn't crumple or break. She remains eerily calm as Lord Tyrion tells them the truth of what happened. He's addressing her and Podrick but his eyes hold steady on Brienne.

She takes a deep breath and nods, “Thank you for telling me, Lord Tyrion.”

His face twists, a mixture of pain and confusion. Something he quickly covers with a false smile. “Of course. I thought that you would want to know.”

The reason why hangs in the air between them.

_Because you cared for him. Because you let him into your heart and your bed. Because you love him._

It doesn't matter now. Any of it. She hears Podrick mutter something about her being in shock and it ignites an anger within her. Not at Podrick. With herself. With Jaime. With everyone that knew where this was heading.

Because she's not shocked. She cried all her tears the night Jaime left her standing there and she realized she would never see him again.

It's been weeks now. Weeks since Tyrion confirmed what she'd only heard whispers about. People had talked but no one had outright said it until Tyrion.

In a way she's glad it was him. No one else could understand what the words would mean to her. Save for maybe Podrick. But he didn't know Ser Jaime the way she and Tyrion did.

She's done her best to carry on. She's commander of the Kingsguard. She can't carry that grief. At least not openly. But it's always there. Along with questions. Wondering whether something could have been done to stop it.

It's not a path she allows herself to go down often. She wouldn't be allowing herself to now if it wasn't for the White Book currently sitting on the table. It's brought Jaime fresh to her mind. With that all her anger and grief that she's been doing her best to hold back.

“Ser Brienne.”

Brienne's attention focuses back on Tyrion. She doesn't get a chance to respond before a knock sounds at the door. A moment later King Bran is wheeled in by Meera Reed. She’d join them at King’s Landing shortly after Bran had been made king at his request.

He nods to her and she takes her leave, shutting the door behind her.

“King Bran,” Tyrion says, ducking his head in acknowledgment. “What can we do for you?”

“Ser Brienne wished to speak to me,” Bran says, his eyes landing on her.

“Did she?” Tyrion asks, turning his head towards her in confusion.

Brienne feels her anger simmering beneath her skin as she nods, “I did.”

Of course he would know where her head was at. It makes all the more clear the other things he must have known.

“You may speak freely,” he tells her.

“Did you know?” Brienne asks him, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “Did you know he was going to die if he came here?”

Bran's face remains blank as he regards her, “I did.”

She feels her breathing get shallow as the words settle over her. His words confirm her suspicions. He knew Jaime would die if he left for King's Landing and he let it happen.

The thought makes her angry, and not just at him. Bran is speaking again before she has a chance to.

 “You knew as well. The night he left Winterfell. You knew he would die here. Yet you still let him go.”

Brienne's reacting before she can think better of it. She slaps him. It's loud in the otherwise quiet room. She hears Podrick gasp, but it's Tyrion that speaks. “Ser Brienne perhaps we should…”

Bran raises his hand, effectively cutting Tyrion off. “It’s alright. She's grieving. She's lost the man she loves.”

“I didn't have to,” Brienne says, feeling herself start to shake with the anger and sadness she's been holding in ever since she got word of Jaime's death. “You know I didn't have to.”

“It was necessary,” Bran says.

“Necessary?” Tyrion asks, his tone incredulous. “How was it necessary? His death had very little to do with the outcome of the war.”

“It did,” Bran says. His eyes turn to Tyrion, penetrating and unwavering as always. “It got you to act.”

Tyrion visibly takes a step back. “You're telling me you let my brother die because it would turn me against Daenerys and get Jon on the path to?” When Bran nods, Tyrion gives a slightly hysterical laugh. “I would have done that anyway! She murdered millions of people. That's what made me act. Not seeing my brothers crumbled lifeless body crushed beneath stone.”

The image flashes across Brienne's vision without warning and she sucks in a breath. Tyrion turns to her, his face apologetic. “I'm sorry, Ser Brienne. Truly. My brother made a lot of mistakes but he did love you.”

_But it wasn't enough_.

The words are there, on the tip of her tongue, but she holds them back. It's not fair. She knows he cared for her. And despite what he might have said he was a good man. He loved his family. Loved Cersei. It wasn't in him to let her die without trying to save her. Even if it cost him his life.

“His last thought was of blue eyes,” Bran says. “And waters that are as blue as sapphires.”

Brienne tries to fight back the tears. She's lost control too much as it is. But being here and having to face Jaime's loss like this is getting to her. More than anything else has.

“No one knows all the things he did,” Brienne whispers. "The good he did."

“We do,” Bran says. His stare returns to her. “As you know, it is the duty of Lord Commander of the Kingsguard to record those deeds.”

Brienne's gaze drifts across the room to where the White Book is resting on the table. Perhaps there is a way to make sure Jaime's memory lives on. Not just the one that people know. The man he truly was. That so little got to see.

“We can leave you to it,” Tyrion says.

He and Podrick go to help Bran out of the room, but Brienne remains frozen.

“Ser Brienne,” Bran says, breaking her out of her thoughts. “I am sorry it had to come to this.”

Podrick wheels him away without another word. Brienne's not sure how true the words are, if he can even be sorry about something he considered necessary. But she accepts them.

She moves to the table and sits down, opening the book in front of her until she finds Jaime's pages. The ones that always felt too empty. Now she can change that. She couldn’t save him, but she can at least do this for him.

With a deep breath she dips her quill in the ink and sets it to the page.

She doesn't cry as she writes. Which isn't an easy feat. She tells his story. All the things that never made it to the page. From the Battle in the Whispering Wood up until his death. It's all there.

There are of course things she keeps to herself. Those hidden moments that are just for them. Maybe she will tell them one day. Not all of them, but some. She’ll tell the tale of Jaime Lannister. The man who was loyal and brave and loved fiercely. Who was far better than he or anyone else ever knew. Including himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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